It's likely we're now just a few weeks away from Apple's first Macs loaded with M3 chips, but the entire lineup apparently just leaked for all to see. And there are some big surprises among the rumored Macs. We got these revelations thanks to journalist Mark Gurman, whose reports are usually impressively accurate when it comes to upcoming Apple products. Gurman's latest report is reportedly based on chip configurations that Apple is testing internally, so things could change in the future.

The report shows the beans on each upcoming chip in the M3 family, their expected specs, as well as which Macs they'll find their way into. But it also includes a shocking revelation about one of Apple's most powerful offerings. According to Gurman, one device that the new chips may not appear on is the Mac Pro. Gurman explains that the M3 Ultra could come to the Mac Studio and Mac Pro, "if Apple keeps making them." The comment probably only refers to the Mac Pro and not the Mac Studio, as Gurman made no similar comment when he claimed that the M3 Max will be coming to the Mac Studio. It's a fascinating claim, and it implies that the Mac Studio could, in fact, cannibalize the Mac Pro among discerning professional users. At this point, both Macs ship with the same chip options, while the move to Apple silicon has stripped the Mac Pro of most of the modularity that made it such a unique option in Apple's lineup. Now the days can be numbered. Every chip Apple unveiled

So, what can we expect from the next generation of Apple chips? Starting with the entry-level M3, Gurman says it will have eight CPU cores and 10 graphics cores. It will be found in the 13-inch MacBook Pro, 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air, the Mac mini and the 24-inch iMac - something Gurman confirmed in July 2023. The next iPad Pro will also be equipped with this chip. As for the M3 Pro, there will be two versions: one with 12 CPU cores and 18 GPU cores, and another with 14 CPU cores and 20 GPU cores. The Macs that get these chips include the 16-inch and 14-inch MacBook Pro and the Mac mini. We then start moving to Apple's heavier chips, starting with the M3 Max. It has 16 CPU cores and 32 or 40 GPU cores, depending on the model. The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro laptops get this chip, as does the Mac Studio. The last chip in the lineup is the M3 Ultra. There will be two configurations, both of which will have 32 CPU cores. The differences will be in the GPU cores: one comes with 64 graphics cores, while the other has 80 GPU cores. You can expect these in the Mac Studio and the Mac Pro, assuming Apple keeps making it.

All of these new chips represent a modest increase in the number of cores compared to the M2 generation. Aside from the cores, Gurman says Apple is also testing new memory configurations, with possible 36GB and 48GB in the cards. Gurman believes we could launch the first M3 clad Macs in October 2023, with the M3 Pro and M3 Max in 2024. The M3 Ultra, meanwhile, could land in late 2024 at the earliest, Gurman says. That means we could have a little over a year before we find out if Apple will end the Mac Pro once and for all. This could be a bitterly disappointing move for professional users who need the combination of power and flexibility that the Intel-based Mac Pro offered in 2019. Only time will tell if that possibility materializes.

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